


Cat Lore in Quel'thalas

by AfinaArchives



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Gen, I really love compiling cat lore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:47:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22826671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AfinaArchives/pseuds/AfinaArchives
Summary: It is known that all forest trolls keep cats, and in many ways domesticated them. The lynx for the Amani, the panther for the Dark Trolls, with the Tiger for both the Gurubashi and Darkspear Trolls by extension. By the Loa these beasts were bound to these hunters and grew alongside them.
Relationships: None
Kudos: 2
Collections: Afina Drabbles





	Cat Lore in Quel'thalas

It is known that all forest trolls keep cats, and in many ways domesticated them. The lynx for the Amani, the panther for the Dark Trolls, with the Tiger for both the Gurubashi and Darkspear Trolls by extension. By the Loa these beasts were bound to these hunters and grew alongside them. 

As the descendants of the Dark Trolls, the Kaldorei kept up the tradition of raising and breeding cats. They, and the Gurubashi, managed to perfect a larger breed of saber which would be suitable for riding - the Kaldorei sabers bearing agility and speed while Gurubashi Tigers were ferocious in battle. It didn’t stop there, the smaller cats were kept as hunter pets, and quickly found their ways into many early elves homes. The cats caught mice which would attack rice stores, and as they prowled after dark were seen as the chosen of Elune. This is supported by symbolism of Elune with Druidic owls, stags, and cats - all animals of the night. 

Overtime, Trolls and Elves were changed by the magics they used. Alongside them, the land and nature they cultivated - cats included. We see this in Moonsabers, Nightsabers, and Wintersabers in Kaldorei culture - this was further supported in Cataclysm with Firesabers, and in Legion by the addition of Manasabers who served the Shal’dorei. 

In game there are a plethora of toys which change your pets, spells and auras as well (although some have been removed by the game). Shadowform, shadowy pet biscuit, and light spells especially. We can see that the magic around powerful fonts affects not only the elves and land, but animals as well - for all elves, trolls, and humans in the end are animals. 

For this reason, I believe that the animals who served these elves and have been bred in these areas also share in the elves’ gifts - magical affinity, longer lifespans, and an increased intelligence. 

Now I move on, after the War of the Ancients and subsequent exile of the Highborne. When exiled across an ocean, you only have a few things to carry with you - your family relics, heirlooms, goods, and purrhaps the cat who has stayed with you all this time. 

Although there were big cats upon the Eastern Kingdoms long before, the Sundering caused a shift in how they looked due to the new and unique environments they now lived in. Setting up the Sunwell, Dathremar Sunstrider not only set in motion the chain of events which would lead to the Sin’dorei, but also the Sun Lynx and future house cats of Quel’thalas. 

We see in Quel’thalas an abundance of wild cats, strays, and lynx - many of whom were the pets of those killed in the Scourge invasion. Smaller than their Kalimdor counterparts (much like their owners), and bearing lighter colors tending towards warmer hues (much like their owners). These cats also have magical gifts. The lynx can be stunned with spell lock, and teleport - much like the Manasaber of the Shal’dorei. Truly, our pets grow to be like us as well. 

Nearly every elf - magician or not - bears a familiar by their side, and often it is a cat. Our constant companions. Entrenched in our culture they are a constant companion. Their smaller, house sized counterparts are still larger than the average human cat, reaching at least your kneecap without the tail added on. With many coats and colors, they roam our streets and absorb the wild mana spells we allow into the world (see - Dalaran Sewers for wild magic run off). 

So how do owners influence their cats further than what is already written in their DNA, I’ll tell you now!

As our characters have spells and toys which affect our pets, many of which affect us, I have good evidence to say that our surroundings and those surrounding us are also affected by our magical auras. Conduits and fonts of energy, who else would be more likely to absorb our run off than our constant companions? 

With longer lifespans, larger bodies, and larger brains - the cats of Quel’thalas comprehend the world around them. They absorb the magic of their owner overtime, and in time grow to know spells and tricks of their own. As your cat in real life will learn in time how to open a door, or flush the toilet, the cats of Quel’thalas may one day use a quick teleportation spell to get that pesky bird in a tree - only to find they can’t get back down. MAGISTRIX, HELP!

I would say that as blood elves often live to 1,000 (With a few exceptions), the cats would live a similar lifespan thanks to the graces of the Sunwell.  
Cats mixed with human cats would have shorter lives for this reason - less of an immersion in the Sunwell’s power. The average cat’s lifespan would be around 75-150 human years I would imagine.

If you pay attention to loot drops and flavor text while questing, you’ll find many of the plagued lynx bore collars - something the pets of fallen farstriders would have given their companions. They remained in these festering pits because they would not abandon their owners - their ragged collars still worn proudly. 

Many of the Silvermoon cats were the pets of slain civilians but remain because they hope their owners will return home. It has been said that our Regent Lord feeds them on his morning stroll through the Court of the Sun daily. 

References:

http://www.wowhead.com/npc=23577/halazzi

http://www.wowhead.com/item=68824/swift-zulian-panther

http://wowwiki.wikia.com/wiki/Saber_cat

http://www.wowhead.com/npc=103326/mana-saber

http://www.wowhead.com/npc=101980/mana-kitten

http://www.wowhead.com/item=122304/fandrals-seed-pouch

http://www.wowhead.com/quest=29316/back-to-basics

https://wow.gamepedia.com/Farstriders

https://wow.gamepedia.com/Cat_Form

http://www.wowhead.com/item=87392/glyph-of-shadowy-friends

http://bfa.wowhead.com/item=139036/ominous-pet-treat

http://bfa.wowhead.com/spell=279065/ghostly-pet-biscuit

http://www.wowhead.com/item=71153/magical-pet-biscuit

http://www.wowhead.com/item=33874/kiblers-bits

https://wow.gamepedia.com/Dark_troll

https://wow.gamepedia.com/Night_elf

https://wow.gamepedia.com/Highborne

https://wow.gamepedia.com/High_elf

https://wow.gamepedia.com/Blood_elf

https://wow.gamepedia.com/Nightborne

http://wowwiki.wikia.com/wiki/Exile_of_the_High_Elves

http://www.wowhead.com/object=175733/the-founding-of-quelthalas

https://wow.gamepedia.com/Lynx

http://www.wowhead.com/npc=6368/cat

http://www.wowhead.com/item=20797/lynx-collar

http://www.wowhead.com/item=4813/small-leather-collar

http://bfa.wowhead.com/item=162680/ruined-collar

http://www.wowhead.com/npc=16348/ghostclaw-lynx

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Familiar_spirit

http://cfa.org/Breeds/BreedsKthruR/NorwegianForestCat.aspx

http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/caracal

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CatsAreMag


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